Hi Everyone,
Please see this week’s round up of Black Lives Matter, protests, and equity centered news.
Best,
From: Ruby Lopez Harper <rharper@artsusa.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2020 12:52 PM
Subject: September 23: Black Lives Matter, protests and equity-centered weekly news roundup
Hello/hola, esteemed colleagues:
In response to requests for information, national context and what is happening in other communities, we are compiling this digest to support you in navigating current events
and in your commitment to equity in the long term. We will circulate this news digest weekly, every Wednesday. While this is certainly not a comprehensive or exhaustive list, we hope it boosts you in your exploration, knowledge and awareness building.
We are looking at additional ways to support your equity work and welcome resources, ideas, examples and opportunities to share with the field. Please send them to
services@artsusa.org.
We invite you to share this news roundup with your networks and colleagues. Visit our
Cultural Equity Resource Center for more information and past resources.
Thank you for your continued work.
PROGRAMMING/RESOURCES
(We will feature new offerings here – free to low-cost opportunities. Previous listings have been moved down to below the signature)
by
National Women's History Museum. Join the National Women’s History Museum on Sunday, September 27th from 1:00-2:00pm EDT for a panel discussion with contemporary female artists whose work centers around womanism, activism and protest, and the visual
manifestations of social justice movements and events in 2020 that have impacted women in the United States and around the world.
by
Intimacy Coordinators of Color. Peter Kuo is a mastermind of theatre in this generation. With his guidance we will unpack and dispel the sometimes blatant misconceptions and misunderstandings about culture in regard to writers, directors, producers
and more.
Presented by ArtEquity. A series created by Black, Indigenous, People of Color for Black, Indigenous, People of Color who survived and are surviving Predominantly White Institutions. This series
is created for the community at no cost to participants.
An Online Event Presented by Art World Conference. How do we define value in the art world? How should our values influence resource allocation? How can we work toward
greater equity and a solidarity economy? Between the pandemic, protests, and the Zoomification of our world, 2020 marks a pivotal moment in cultural development. Crisis threatens the very nature of what many of us do, yet it also affords us a moment to stop,
think, and assess the systems that have historically guided us. The current moment is an invitation to critique and rebuild the way in which we assign value, with our own values in mind. Art World Conference addresses market-driven economic realities, while
foregrounding creative solutions and the solidarity economy. Financial health, sustainability, and best business practices will be discussed through a lens of diversity, equity, and social justice. Programming will address many of the unique opportunities
and challenges faced by visual artists, freelancers, and arts professionals. Topics include financial and legal issues ranging from sales, credit, investing, and licensing, to the broader context of defining and asserting value, solidarity, and the importance
of community.
Presented by WELD. October 29th is 2020 Latina Equal Pay Day. Latinas make just $0.54 compared to every $1.00 that white men earn. Now more than ever, we must work collectively
to eliminate pay disparity that women and women of color face. Join us for a three-part national forum that will include calls to action to close the gap.
FIELD NEWS
ART/ARTIST RESPONSE
NEWS
TAKE ACTION
Thanks for reading. We hope you find this news digest to be a helpful tool to support your equity work, and welcome feedback at
services@artsusa.org.
If you were forwarded this and want to sign up for the Local Arts Network listserv to receive it directly,
click here.
____________________
Ruby Lopez Harper
Senior Director of Local Arts Advancement
Americans for the Arts
1000 Vermont Ave NW 6th Floor
Washington, DC 20005-4940
202.371.2830 x2079
202.789.2830 fax
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Pronouns: she/her/hers
PROGRAMMING
Hosted by the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. October is Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Awareness Month. This workshop is timed to acknowledge
and celebrate regulations that ensure access. Many entities claim to be fully accessible when all they mean is they have one mostly-accessible bathroom stall or a theater seat that accommodates a wheelchair. What other facilities, equipment, and spaces are
there to consider when checking for full accessibility for our staff members and guests? Let's talk about it!
Hosted
by Creative Capital.
A discussion about the importance of disability representation and how artists who identify as disabled focus on accessibility in their work.
“Access in Content and Form” is a conversation with and between Creative Capital Awardees writer Kenny Fries and visual artist and filmmaker Alison O’Daniel. As artists who identify as disabled, Kenny and Alison know the importance of access to buildings,
sound, films, books, websites and, especially during the current pandemic, protection and care. However, what is most important to their practices is work that focuses on disability in both content and form. Kenny and Alison will talk about how their intersectional
identities enter their work, the importance of disability representation and role models, and their upcoming creative collaboration on a film based on Kenny’s poem sequence In the Gardens of Japan.
Racism is a fierce, ever-present, challenging force, one which has structured the thinking, behavior, and actions of individuals and institutions since the beginning of
U.S. history. To understand racism and effectively begin dismantling it requires an equally fierce, consistent, and committed effort. The Racial Equity Institute (REI) process is designed to help leaders and organizations that want to proactively understand
and address racism, both in their organization and in the community where the organization is working. In this lively and participatory, three-hour presentation, REI organizers will use stories and data to present a perspective that racism is fundamentally
structural in nature. By examining characteristics of modern-day racial inequity, the presentation introduces participants to an analysis that most find immediately helpful and relevant.Oct 14-16, 2020, Times vary:
Upswell 2020 (Early bird pricing through Sep 18)
Presented by Independent Sector. Upswell 2020 is about the two most important things facing every changemaker in the United States: ending racism and recovering from the
pandemic.
How we respond in this moment of extreme urgency will determine nothing less than the future of our nation. So, we’re inviting you to show up. Claim your agency. Elevate
your ideas. Amplify your voice. Get creative, innovative, passionate, and relentlessly determined. Because it’s going to take the very best you’ve got – and the very best the rest of us have got – to heal our nation and create a society where every person
can thrive.
Hosted by 3Arts. This year we’re bringing more joy than ever to our annual celebration of Chicago artists. We’ll announce the recipients of 2020 3Arts Awards and the Make
a Wave grantees, share some big news about our expanding support for artists across our city, and begin a tradition of splitting donations with two admired organizations that are part of the ecosystem that supports artists--because we're all in this together.
Hosted by the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. How does your organization determine which programs to present and whose cultures to privilege or promote? Do these discussions
occur at all around your meeting tables? How can increased cultural awareness and understanding be an outcome of arts provision? Let's discuss over lunch!
Hosted
by Creative Capital.
This workshop takes artists through a framework for values-based storytelling and share examples of how to put those values into practice.
As artists step into their power to build and shape narratives that affect the lives of those around them, it is important to consider not just what stories are told, but how stories are told. Values-based, ethical storytelling practices center the process
as much as the outcome. Progressive cultural work requires that artists employ storytelling practices that are grounded in respect, ethics, nuance, and anti-racism. Led by creative strategist and documentary impact producer Sonya Childress, this workshop will
take artists through a framework for values-based storytelling and share examples of how storytellers might put those values into practice. This workshop is taught by and for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) artist disruptors to strengthen their
craft, practice and build power.
Hosted by the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. Are you concerned you may be using the wrong titles, nomenclature, parts of speech, or colloquial terms
when referring to, or speaking about, guests or visitors with disabilities? Wonder no more: enter a safe space where we can talk about just this and ensure that future conversations will be respectful and appropriate.
Hosted by the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. Sometimes when we talk about inclusive cultures, we focus only on race, ethnicity, sexuality, age, and
gender expression. Let's not forget that there are other employees and guests who are underserved because of family-unfriendly policies or practices. Talking openly and beginning to solve these issues will go a long way towards full inclusion.